Lords of Chaos (5 Stars)

I have mixed feelings when I watch this film. I enjoy black metal and death metal music, but I find the attitudes of the musicians in the film distasteful. Those who kill people are considered heroes, because it's something wonderful to plunge a knife into someone's chest. After praising this lifestyle, Oystein Aarseth aka Euronymous ended up being stabbed to death. This confirms the principle of the Bible that he hated so much, "He who lives by the sword will die by the sword" (Matthew 26:52).

As Norwegians, the members of the black metal scene felt drawn to Odin and the old Norse religion of Norway. That's understandable. They felt that Christianity had stolen their heritage. Even as an Englishman I feel drawn to Norse mythology, but in my case I know that it's foolish. The Norse religion was based upon strength in combat. The valiant would go to Valhalla as a reward for dying in battle. I'm a person who would never be able to pick up a sword to fight, so I would be rejected by the Norse Gods. I would have been an outcast if I'd lived in an ancient Norwegian community.

After watching the film today, I listened to Mayhem's first official studio album, "De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas", released after Euronymous' death. It's a powerful album, rightfully considered a classic. After listening I had to ask myself whether I'm a hypocrite. Can I listen to an album's music while rejecting its message? That makes me a "poser", the word that Euronymous used to describe insincere metal fans. A poser is someone who claims to be a Satanist when all he wants to do is drink beer and have a good time. I've never claimed to be a Satanist, but by listening to Mayhem's music I can be accused of being a poser. To quote Varg's words in the film,

"I hate all those death metal kids with their stupid Morbid Angel T-shirts. They're making a trend out of something that was meant to instil fear. We should put them in the showers and gas them to death".

I wouldn't just have been an outcast in ancient Norway. I would have been rejected by Varg's circle of friends.

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